Earthlight, Moonlight
by SenshiHoshiko
Summary: A new and in-depth look at the Moon Kingdom and the story of Serenity, her princesses, and the love between two planets. (Bad title, but good story: please review .)
1. A Kingdom's Hope

This is my first published fanfic, inspired by too much Sailor Moon at three in the morning with my best friend and a long "what would the Moon Kingdom be like?" discussion. Tell me what you think! I'd like feedback. I'll be posting more as it comes to me.  
  
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- *- Disclaimer:  
  
Sailor Moon is not owned by me. The characters are copyrighted by Takeuchi Naoko (thank you for the great work) and many other people who also are not me. However, this story is mine, so please don't copy. I'd hate to resort to using my Glaive (that threat is so trite, no da?)! ~~~~~~@-----~~~~~~@-----~~~~~~@-----~~~~~~@-----~~~~~~ Earthlight, Moonlight  
  
Chapter 1  
  
A Kingdom's Hope  
  
It was a beautiful night. With the flowers now in bloom, the wind that blew through the kingdom was scented with roses. Nearby, an elegant fountain quietly splashed water into an ornamental pond through the outstretched hands of an angel. The temperature was just right, and when she looked up, she could see millions of stars shining overhead.  
  
She turned and started walking towards the side of the palace, weaving her way around the flower patches, gazebos, and mazes home to this garden. Taking a side door, she slipped into the palace stealthily, and went to a balcony overlooking a serene lake. There, shining overhead, was the Earth, a blue and green crystal ball. It shed a soft light, almost exactly like the light people from Earth claimed came from this planet.  
  
As she stared up at the stars and the Earthlight, she thought of all of her kingdom's accomplishments. When she had been crowned, the kingdom was just starting out. It had little water, the air smelled atrocious, and many of her people had no place to sleep. There wasn't even a palace- just the remnants of a castle in the form of shattered columns! Bandits would randomly invade, causing more chaos and bringing her people to the brink. Over many years, she had improved it all, making sure there was ample fresh water, ordering flowers planted to sweeten the air, building homes, even creating a new palace, one people could come to and enjoy. As for the bandit- they had made the mistake of attacking a new kingdom, one with strong allies, all who were willing to put this evil away. But the betterment of the kingdom had not been achieved for free. She sighed, looking up at the moon, and thinking of her husband, Solan.  
  
He had been a prince of the sun, not the heir, but their warrior, a man gifted with the powers of the solar system's main star. The last bandit attack had been about one year before. She still remembered the cocky grin he flashed at her, and the sparkle in his eyes as he claimed his last kiss. He had been killed by the leader of the bandits, a horrible monster of a being. She shuddered as she remembered hearing of his fight. Fortunately, Solan had killed all of the roaming gang with the last of his strength. But where he had decreed his powers to go was unknown. The fate of the sun's powers- and, subsequently, it's throne- was still a mystery.  
  
At that moment, she heard a small sound. Just the faintest of sighs. She turned and approached a bassinet, over which hung a mobile of the moon, sun, planets, and stars, each glistening in the random shafts of light. She peered in, watching her daughter, Solan's last gift, smile in her sleep. Only three months old, and this child had already won the hearts of everyone in the palace. She smoothed back the child's hair, as golden as the sun, just like her father's, then tucked the blanket more snugly around her heir, the hope of her kingdom. Someday, she would take the throne and rule, along with her court of princesses, allies from the other planets. Only a deity knew how great she would be.  
  
Queen Serenity smiled down at her, completely at peace with herself and the universe.  
"My Serena", she whispered. "My little ray of light."  
  
It was a beautiful night indeed. 


	2. Oaths and Heirs

Well, here's Chapter 2- Queen Serenity's background. Sorry if it seems a bit descriptive so far, but I'd like to get a good background set up first, because this story isn't following the manga or anime versions of the Silver Millennium very closely. I promise, there will be action soon- I just have to get a little more description in. Besides, I think it's pretty interesting :-). I'm working hard on Chapter 3 already!  
  
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- *- Disclaimer: Once again, Sailor Moon is not owned by me. The characters are copyrighted by Takeuchi Naoko (thank you for the great work) and many other people who also are not me. I wish they were, but they are not (sigh). However, this story is mine, so please don't copy. I'd hate to resort to using my Glaive (that threat is so trite, no da?)!  
  
~~~~~~@-----~~~~~~@-----~~~~~~@-----~~~~~~@-----~~~~~~  
  
Earthlight, Moonlight  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Oaths and Heirs  
  
Inside the great hall of the Moon Palace, rays of sunlight crossed the marble floor, reflecting off specks of crystal in the tiles. Banners proclaiming the arms of the Moon's allies fluttered slightly in the breeze. Princess Mars shifted her weight impatiently, playing with the folds of her long scarlet dress. She flipped her hair, causing the flowers in it to rustle a warning and make Princess Mercury look up at her. Mars was about to yawn, but a sharp glance from Princess Jupiter made her stifle it instead.  
  
It seemed as if the four princesses had been waiting for hours to be admitted to Queen Serenity's private chambers. Princess Mars knew, though, that the Queen was speaking to another important group of allies, the Outer Solar System princesses. Right now they were in the chamber, listening to Queen Serenity and meeting the new heir to the Silver Millennium. Meanwhile, Princess Mars was becoming quite agitated. She had been going to play with her friends, Princess Mercury, Jupiter, and Venus, but Queen Serenity had sent a message through Phobos that all four were to present themselves at the Moon Palace to meet their new princess and heir to the throne.  
  
Mars wondered what the princess would be like. She knew that her name was Serenity, the same as her mother's, but no one had told the four any other information. The fiery princess wondered if this young girl would be as good a ruler as the Queen.  
  
Queen Serenity was a kind and caring ruler, despite the troubles that has accompanied her ascension to the throne. Before she has even been born, the Moon Kingdom had fallen to a horde of monsters, led by a seemingly unstoppable youma, Chrysoberyl. The other planets had been unable to break through the siege in time to rescue the king and queen, but Queen Elena had been able to summon enough power to send her newborn son, the Prince of the Moon, out of the system. The other planets, when learning that they royal couple was killed and their son missing, assumed that the monsters had taken the baby and declared the Moon under the rule of the Council, which gave the Lunarians scant protection and almost no aid in rebuilding their kingdom.  
  
Meanwhile, Prince Taver grew up on Ishtar. No one on the planet knew much about the Sol System, so although Taver was recognized as being royal because of his powers, the rulers of Jaran were unsure of his origins. He was allowed to grow up in the palace, and as a result he and the Princess Crystal fell in love and married, settling down to rule Ishtar jointly.  
  
It was on Ishtar that Serenity was born, the second daughter of the lost Prince of the Moon and the Queen of the neighboring star's planet, Serenity had grown up on her mother's planet, doted on by her parents and her older sister. But with two daughters both showing signs of holding power and Power, the King and Queen had a problem. Only one child could rule, and Serenity's older sister was named heir, leaving Serenity at odds.  
  
It was then that the monsters that had felled the Moon Kingdom returned to the Sol System, which led the Solar Guardians to call for help from their neighboring star. When the warriors arrived, led by Taver, the rulers of Venus and Mars recognized in the Star King their system's lost Moon Prince. With the extra aid, the monsters were defeated, and Taver himself slew Chrysoberyl. Taver's past was finally revealed, and in light of the fact that he was already established as co-ruler of Ishtar, it was deemed that his daughter, the Princess Serenity I, would be trained to take the throne of the Moon.  
  
She had come to the solar system long before Mars and her friends were born, and had immediately begun to improve its condition, often putting the needs of the people and planets before her own. Earlier in time, she had been gifted with one of the rare treasures that appeared sometimes to a system in need: the Silver Imperium Crystal. Princess Mars had been told by her mother and father that it had shown up when Queen Serenity had saved one of the outer planets, putting her own life in danger. The crystal had floated up to her as she stood exhausted and disheveled in the Palace Miranda, and had shone as bright as the sun itself, choosing Queen Serenity as its owner in front of the assembled courts of the solar system. The monarchs of the other planets had seen for themselves that Queen Serenity was the strongest of them all, as well as the most fit to rule this Silver Millennium, named in honor of the crystal of its ruler. She was crowned queen of the solar system as soon as she had recovered from the fight.  
  
Even though she had little experience ruling such a wide amount of space, she took up the challenge eagerly, and gave the solar system the same amount of love and care she bestowed upon her own Moon Kingdom. This aspect of her governing, combined with her generous nature, made her a popular and widely respected ruler. Often she would include the entire counsel of kings and queens on decisions, and rarely made any major choice without consulting at least one of her allies. As the other monarchs already had princesses and princes, Queen Serenity made sure that each one of the heirs to the planets was familiar with the types of work their parents did. After all, these young inheritors would one day be the court of her own child. And the Queen always made sure they were well treated. Princess Mars smiled, thinking of the sweets they were given as rewards for jobs well done, and about the time Queen Serenity herself had brought Mars something to drink after a long counsel session.  
  
Princess Mars and the other Inner princesses had been born about ten years before, but their growth had been slowed so they would be about the same age as the Silver Millennium's heir. Children with the blood of the Moon grew quickly in their first few years. Although from planets that were complete opposites, the quartet were fast friends, and spent more time with each other than anyone else. Their parents were the members of Queen Serenity's court, and often stressed to the young girls how important it was for the court and their monarch to be the closest of friends, to have a bond not even death could break. So the four spent much time with each other, learning every secret of the other three's lives. Each princess was skilled in different areas, making each one perfect for a different part of the new princess' court. Mars believed that their wide spectrum of talents were the reason the four Inners were to be Princess Serenity's main tutors, as well as her court. She thought about it as she watched her three companions. 


End file.
